Reversible screw-eye



(No Model.

0. O.'HARLEY. REVERSIBLE SCREW EYE.

PatenteqEebfm-lsas.

' of the user without danger of injury to either UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

CORNELIUS O. HARLEY, OF LEEDS, MASSACHUSETTS.

REVERSIBLE SCREW-EYE. Q.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,611, dated February7, 1888.

Application filed Junie 11, 1887. Serial No. 241,675. (No model.)

the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to devices comprising an eye or handle and a screwadapted to be applied to a variety'of uses, and has'for its object toprovide a device of this nature in which the screw is readily detachablefrom and reversible within the eye or handle, whereby it is adapted tobe carried within the pocket his person or Clothing.

To this end my invention consists in a screweye in which the screw isdetachable from and reversible within the eye, as hereinafter fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters designate like partsin'the several figures, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device withthe screw in its operative position. Fig. 2 is a similar view thereofwith the screw in its reversed or inoperative position. Figs. 3,4, and 5are perspective, and Figs. 6 and 7 are plan, views of parts of thedevice herein-v after described. Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken uponthe line-m w of Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is w an enlarged view of the screwdetached.

The letter A designates the eye .or handle, of suitable size and shapeto admit the hand, as shown, and the letter D designates the screw.

The straight portion of the handleA is preferably bent outwardly, toform the exterior groove, a for a purpose presently to be described, andis provided midway between the ends thereof with the orifice a, toreceive the point ofthe screw when the latter is in its inoperativeposition, as shown in Fig. 2. Opposite said orifice a the handle iswidened to form the circular base A, which receives the screw andretains it in either of its positions by means which are constructed asfollows:

Within the inner surface of the base A is a depression, a, (see Fig. 3,)and centrally located within saiddepression is a hub, A, preferably madeintegral with the handle, as

shown in Fig. 8. The hub A is centrally bored to receive the shank ofthe screw D, and has within its face a depressioma, corresponding insize and outline to the head of the screw,

which may be rectangular, as shown, or of other angular conformation,which will prevent axial movement of said screw when'its head is locatedwithin said depression. Said depression a is of such depth that the headof the screw, when placed therein, will be subshown in Fig. 8.

'stantially flush with the face of the hub, as

secured upon and removed from the hub A preferably by means ofscrew-threads upon the periphery of the hub and inner side of the cap,as shown, said cap being also preferably milled upon its periphery, asshown, to facilitate turning it upon the hub. The cap B has a centralopening, b, corresponding in size and head of the screw.

It will be obvious from the construction thus described that when thecap is placed upon the hub with its opening b"registering with thedepression in the hub, as shown in Fig. 6, the screw can be inserted inthe handle either with its shank passing through the base A, as shown inFigs. 1 and 8, or with its shank extending transversely across thehandle and its point'projecting within orifice a, as shown in Fig. 2,the head of the screwin either position being seated within depression aof the hub and substantially flush with the face of the hub. It will beobvious, also, that by imparting a slight axial movement to the cap-sa-yoneeighth of a revolution-as shown in Fig. 7, whereby its opening I) isthrown out of register with the depression in the hub, the screw will befirmly secured to the handle in either 'the end of a stop-pin, ainserted through the base A of the handle after the cap has been screweddown upon the hub. The slot 1) is of such length that when one of itsend walls is in contact with said stop pin, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,the opening b in the cap will outline with depression a. in the hub andthe A register with the depression in the hub, and the screw can bereadily applied to or removed from the handle, and that when theopposite end wall thereof is brought in contact with said pin by turningthe cap the said opening and depression will be out of alignment, asshown in Fig. 7, and the screw will be retained within the handle. Ithus avoid the necessity of em ercising care to bring the opening intoalign ment with the depression, and also prevent the accidentalunscrewing of the cap from the hub.

A friction-spring, 0, (shown in Fig. 4,) will preferably be locatedbetween the cap and the bottom of depression a of the hub to preventaccidental rotation of the cap upon the hub.

WVhen the screw is secured in its inoperative position, as shown in Fig.2, the device can be carried in the pocket of the user with perfectsafety to person and clothing, and the screw can be almost instantlyreversed and secured. in its operative position whenever it is desiredto put the device to use.

While, as hereinbefore intimated, there is a variety of uses to whichthe device thus constructed is adapted, I have devised it with especialreference to use by painters to steady themselves when working fromladders, scaffolds, 8tc., by turning the screw into the ladder orscaffold, or into the surface being painted, and clasping the handlewith one hand while working with the other hand.

The outward curvature of the straight portion of the handle A not onlysecures great strength with slight weight,'but enables me to utilize thegroove a thus formed as a holder for an idle or extra brush, asindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus causing the device to performa double function.

Among the other uses to which the device may be put may be mentionedthose of serving as a ring for hitching animals to trees, posts, &c.,and as ahandle for carrying wooden packages.

The device constructed as shown and described forms an article ofmanufacture which is simplein construction, very strong and durable, andwhich, carried in the pocket, is always ready to be utilized for any ofthe numerous purposes for which it is adapted.

It is obvious that various modifications of the details of constructionshown and described can be made within the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isy 1. The reversible screw-eye hereindescribed, consisting of a handle provided with a centrally-perforatedhub, said hub having in its face and surrounding the perforationtherethrough a depression to receive the head of a screw, a screw thehead of which is fitted to said depression, andacentrally-perforated capfitted to said hub, substantially as set forth.

2. A screw-eye comprising, in combination,

to be screwed upon said hub, said cap having a central openingcorresponding in size and outline to the depression in the face of thehub, substantially as set forth.

3. A screw-eye comprising, in combination, an eye or handle andadetachable and reversible screw, said eye or handle having a hubboredto receive the shank of the screw, and having in its face adepression corresponding in size and shape to the head of the screw, acap adapted to be secured and have axial movement upon said hub, saidcap having a central opening corresponding in size and outline to thedepression in the hub, and a stop limiting the axial movement of saidcap in both directions, whereby the opening in the cap can be moved intoand out of alignment with the depression in the hub with speed andaccuracy, substantially as set forth.

4. A screw-eye comprising an eye or handle and a detachable andreversible screw, said eye or handle being provided with a socket orholder for a paint-brush or similar article, substantially as set forth.

5. A screw-eye comprising the eye or handle A, having the orifice a,base A, depression a, hub A having depression a, and cap 13, having theopening I), in combination with friction-spring G and screw D,substantially as described.

6. In a screw-eye, the combination, with the eye or handle A, having thehub A said hub being provided with the depression a, to receive the headof a screw, of cap B, having opening I) and slot b, and pin a adapted tobe inserted through the eye or handle and to project within said slot 1)of the cap when the parts are assembled, arranged and operatingsubstantially as set forth.

7. A scrcw-eye comprising the eye or handle A, detachable and reversiblescrew D,and means, substantially as described, for locking said screw inboth of its positions, said eye or handleA being provided withtheexterior groove,a substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I

8. A screw -eye consisting of the eye or handle A, having the hub A,provided with a central bore and rectangular depression in its face, capB, having a rectangular opening corresponding in size and outline withthe depression in the hub, and screw D, having a rectangular headadapted to closely fit said depression, substantially as described.

CORNELIUS O. HARLEY.

XVitnesses:

W. H. CHAPMAN, B. F. DAVENPORT.

ICO

